In act 2, there is also a lack of trust as well as separation between John and Elizabeth Proctor. At the beginning of act 2, Elizabeth is eager to know where John has been, “What keeps you so late? It’s almost dark”. But although John does not give her a satisfactory answer to relax her suspicions, she is hesitant to press on. This shows that despite the fact that John is trying to achieve Elizabeth’s forgiveness by avoiding to mention anything that would upset her, resulting in being polite and formal, she is also somewhat afraid of him. The couple’s lack of trust in the relationship arises again later when Elizabeth can no longer hold back her suspicions on John’s real reason for being so late back and climates to a series of investigating questions. The fact that John angrily tells Elizabeth, “I’ll not have your suspicions any more” shows the audience that the lack of forgiveness and build up of suspicions has been present in their relationship for sometime. Also, “I’ll not” shows that John is the powerful one in the relationship and that their relationship is at stake as the use of first person shows the audience that if the couple’s relationship does not improve then he’ll take extreme actions.
Miller also helps to portray the lack of trust present in the relationship through Elizabeth’s reactions when Proctor kisses her, she coldly receives the kiss. The fact that she does not get up and warmly hug John when he kisses her shows that she is reluctant to express any signs of intimacy towards John and is punishing him by being unaffectionate and bitter. However, this fact is known by both parties as John is uncomfortable with kissing Elizabeth, which is highlighted in John’s response to the after mass of the kiss. He does not express his disappointment with words but with a simple verb to avoid any awkwardness, while Elizabeth’s response emphasizes her lack of effort towards intimacy.
However, in the mist of honesty and true emotions, John still cares for Elizabeth. This can be seen from one of the many stage directions written by Miller, “holding back a full condemnation of her”. This shows that although, John is aware of Elizabeth’s bad qualities he is determined to keep them to himself as he wants to achieve her forgiveness. He also attempts to do this by pleasing Elizabeth; we can see evidence of this near the beginning of the act when he asks for her approval on buying George Jacob’s heifer. This shows that Elizabeth’s feelings and opinions still stand in a substantial place in his heart. This can be seen by the audience by the way Miller presents John at the very start of act 2, the stage direction tells us that he “halts for an instant as he hears her singing”. To the audience this shows that whether Elizabeth is physically there or not, she still makes a direct influence on John, which means that he still loves her and is very willing to achieve her forgiveness. However, Elizabeth is still reluctant to trust John’s feelings as she feels that she cannot find honestly in their relationship. From a stage direction “it is hard to say”, the audience are able to sense the feeling that Elizabeth finds it hard to trust John’s aim to please her and is only saying it in order to avoid argument and further awkwardness. This makes John and Elizabeth Proctor’s relationship very superficial as neither can trust the other because of the lack of honesty in the relationship and so instead both parties attempt to cover up their problems by trying to please the other and burying each others weakness. However, as a result of trying to be together with their problems bubbling under the surface makes their enthusiasm seem too much to be real and makes the relationship seem fake. For example, when Elizabeth watches John eat his supper, instead of creating an atmosphere where a loving wife enjoys her husband enthusiastically eating her dinner, a feeling of discomfort and awkwardness is created. It’s as if, neither John nor Elizabeth knows what to say to each other and so the feeling of enjoyment between a loving couple turns to wariness and uncertainty. This is backed up by John’s abrupt statement in attempt to break the awkward silence “I think we’ll see green fields soon”.
But despite the couple’s attempt to keep their problems under control, John is frustrated with the lack of trust from Elizabeth, which seems to reflect the main problem existing in Salem as no one can trust someone else enough to know that they won’t cry their friend’s name for witch when pressurised to, and as their argument climaxes, John tells Elizabeth with a “solemn warning” that “you will not judge me more”. This suggests that John still has authority over Elizabeth and is desperate for her to trust him again. His warning is more like an order as apposed to a statement in attempt to make Elizabeth forgive him. But it seems apparent from Elizabeth’s language that she has “lost all faith in him” as she turns away from John and replies “do as you wish”. This implies that Elizabeth does not care what John does, because she believes that John has forgotten her as well as Abigail. This is evident in the next two quotes (John) “I have forgotten Abigail”, (Elizabeth) “And I”. These two quotes are apart of the couple’s conversation, but Miller has created a double meaning, one being the fact that Elizabeth believes that John does not love her anymore while the other being that John thinks that Elizabeth claims to have forgotten his relationship with Abigail.
Miller stages Elizabeth and John’s relationship through their negative body language and symbolism in order to show his audience how unaffectionate they are towards each other. For example, Elizabeth “stands and starts to walk out of the room”. This shows the audience that she is frustrated with their relationship and by walking out the room would express her bitterness and anger towards John. However, John conveys his feeling towards their relationship through the symbolism of him seasoning the soup at the start of act 2. This particular action symbolises that he is tried of his relationship with Elizabeth and that his is looking for ways to improve it and in order to achieve this he firstly needs her forgiveness.
In act 4, there is distinctly a sharp contrast to act 2. The situation suddenly prompts John and Elizabeth Proctor to realise their true emotions and love as well as the value of forgiveness. When John first sees Elizabeth in act 4 no words are spoken, instead Miller uses stage direction and body language to convey the changes in their relationship. From the stage direction the audience sees that John walks to Elizabeth and halts, “It’s as though they stood in a spinning world”. This metaphorical stage direction is a complete variation from act 2, where they both find it hard to look into each others eyes without a curtain of suspicion, whereas here the couple does not feel the need to speak in order to communicate. This point emphasizes that their relationship has become a great deal closer and intimate. Miller then shows further closeness and true love between John and Elizabeth Proctor by staging them so that they sit closely face to face with his hands in hers. Here the audience automatically sense passion and intimacy, which does not appear at all in act 2, where they sit with distance across the dinner table both physically and emotionally. The word “weak” is also used in the stage direction to describe Elizabeth which contradicts her character in act 2, where she is strong and finds the will to deny her love for John. This shows the audience that she is now more emotional and more likely to admit to her true feelings.
In act 4, the conversation between John and Elizabeth also seems to flow more. There are no longer awkward pauses or silences, which constantly appears in act 2. “The emotion flowing between them prevents anyone from speaking for an instant”. This is immediately an immense contrast to act 2, where Miller does not allow the couple’s true emotions to be apparent to the audience. Another point present in act 4 is that the conversation is less formal unlike in act 2, for example John asks “the child?” as apposed to “how is the child?”, which is very similar to how he approaches Elizabeth in act 2 “ Are you well, today?”.
In this act, we also see that John and Elizabeth Proctor show more affection to each other which contrasts to act 2, where the relationship seems to be held together by John alone, which he does by pleasing Elizabeth in anyway he can. For example on page 107, Elizabeth says “You - have been tortured?” This is the first time in the play, where the audience witnesses Elizabeth showing any signs of close observation and affection towards John. The fact that she pauses before finishing the question suggests that she is somewhat new to expressing her caring side to John, as well as finding it hard to realising her true emotions. However, the realisation of the situation does not only prompt Elizabeth to recognising her true feelings towards her husband. Miller present how much John still values her opinion through asking her “What say you? If I give them that?” Here, he says “you” before saying “I” which shows that he is trying not to be the dominant figure in the relationship. This is a clear contrast to act 2, where he seems be the more stronger and powerful one in the relationship, for example “I’ll not have your suspicion any more”. This order-like reply shows authority and the need for respect, also the fact that Elizabeth simply turns away from him shows the audiences that the relationship has been like this for a long time.
Also, in act 4 the audiences sees Elizabeth become more self-aware of her imperfections, “I have sins of my own to count”. Through this sentence, Miller has shown the audience that Elizabeth has come to realise her sin in judging John, and that she is now able to put John’s short term relationship with Abigail in the past. However this is not the case in act 2, where she punishes John by being bitter to him. “The magistrate sits in your heart judges you”, this comment shows the audience that she should punish John by hurting his heart, which explains why she has being cold and completely unaffectionate to him. The audience are also able to sense more positive body language. For example from the stage direction, we are told that both of them are seated with Elizabeth “facing him”. This also shows that they are both equal and John is no longer the more dominant figure in their relationship.
The audience can also see the developments of John and Elizabeth Proctor’s relationship through the ways in which Miller present John’s language. In act 4, John’s language is greatly used to show his emotions. He starts of with short, sharp and to the point phrases. For example, “The child?” his short question shows his desperation to try and cut out the realisation of their situation. It also shows the audience that their relationship has developed into one in which they can have a conversation which highlights their similarities as well as strengths, unlike in most of act 2, which as a result this drove them further apart from each other as neither one of them is willing to admit to the other. This can be seen in the next two quotes from act 2, (Elizabeth) “Do as you wish, then”, (John) “I’ll not have your suspicion any more”. And so through a short question, Miller is able to show the audience that John and Elizabeth are brought together by simply discussing a topic which connects them both together.
Throughout the novel, we can see that John and Elizabeth Proctor’s relationship developed immensely from act 2, where both the couple are trying desperately to please the other resulting in a superficial relationship to act 4, where the recognition of their situation prompts the couple to release their true emotion towards each other and forget about the suspicion, lack of trust, and intimacy that continuously rose in their relationship in act 2. However, it is ironic that the cause for them to connect with each other is also the cause that will prevent them to put their affection and love into further practice. Arthur Miller has presented to his audience the dramatic change in the Proctor’s relationship through the way he illustrate the language used by the characters as well as through a number of different dramatic techniques.
